As part of their Safe and Warm Somerset initiative, Centre for Sustainable Energy will be running a number of drop-in sessions across the county for those looking for free advice on how they could help save money on their energy bills this winter.

Sessions taking place in the South Somerset area are:

Boden Centre, Chard, TA20 2AX – first Tuesday of the month, 10am – 1pm
The Balsam Centre, Wincanton, BA9 9HB – first Thursday of the month, 10am – 12pm
The Gateway, Yeovil, BA20 1QN – third Wednesday of the month, 10am – 12pm
Yeovil Library, King George Street, BA20 1PY – third Friday of the month, 10am – 12pm

For more information, call 0800 0385730 or email safeandwarmsomerset@cse.org.uk.

Impartial money and pensions guidance, backed by government and free to use.
For free guidance you can trust, we can help.

Includes where to access free debt advice here

Citizens Advice South Somerset is a local charity that provides free, confidential, advice to help people resolve their problems; we also campaign to change unfair policies that help cause these problems.

Volunteers are the life force of our organisation and without them we would not be able to deliver the level of service that we offer.  We have a range of volunteering opportunities available and if you want to know more please visit our website.

Reconnect is a free service that offers practical support to people, throughout Somerset, with dementia and memory problems.  We visit people in their homes weekly, usually for approximately an hour, for a maximum of two years. We support people to manage their paperwork and finances and ensure they’re receiving the correct benefits.  We can also support them to access social opportunities, maintain a safe home and find solutions to the issues that memory problems often bring.  Anyone can refer to our service.

We can help you if;
– You live in Somerset
– You are 65 years+ old and experiencing memory loss
– You are under 65 and have a diagnosis of dementia

To access our service, all we require is a completed referral form. Anybody can refer to our service, as long as the person that they are referring agrees to this. We can forward referral forms via the internet, alternatively we are happy to assist people to complete one over the phone.

Our team of debt experts help hundreds of thousand of people a year to deal with their debt problems. With nearly 30 years experience, you can be confident that we can provide the advice and support you need to achieve long-term financial control.

We offer free, flexible debt advice that is based on a comprehensive assessment of your situation. We’ll then provide practical help and support for however long it’s needed.

Confidence Clubs are for people living with mental ill health conditions, and who would benefit from confidence building to:

• Manage money better
• Learn about budgeting
• Become less fearful about bills and opening envelopes

Please feel welcome to chat to Julia by making contact (see below details):

• To find out when the next meet up is
• To talk about any support you may need to come along

Sometimes a speaker is arranged to visit us, and ideas for speakers are chosen by people attending at club meet-ups.

Credit unions enable people in a community to come together to save ethically and to borrow money at competitive rates. They provide an alternative to ‘conventional’ banking systems, and operate for the mutual benefit of all members, whether they are savers or borrowers.

The churches in Ilminster run a Food Bank in Sweet Surprise Café, Silver Street.

This service is by referral only – those who can refer are local vicars,  GP’s and Social Workers.

Please contact Lydia Munday for more information.

Food donated by Tesco and Coop and by members of the public. Coma along as often as you like, for a free tea or coffee, company and a chat.

Every Saturday 10:15 – 11:15.

Sweet Surprise, Silver Street, Ilminster.

If you’re a kidney patient struggling to make ends meet we can help you. We provide personal grants to help pay for – domestic costs, household items, travel expenses, short term educational courses and training.

Our personal grants are available to: Dialysis patients and families on low income, Transplant patients and those receiving conservative care, if health and quality of life is being seriously affected by your renal condition.

What we can fund

Domestic costs: we can help with some domestic bills such as car insurance and tax, heating costs and rent. We may also help with the purchase of domestic goods like washing machines, beds and carpets.

Travel costs: we may be able to help with travel costs to your hospital if you have to travel a long way and have no support from your unit. We don’t help with travel costs for ongoing dialysis.

Short term educational courses: we may be able to help towards the cost of educational courses, IT equipment for education and give support for courses enabling return to work.

Applying for a grant leaflet

Before applying for a grant it’s a good idea to download and have a read through our Applying for a grant leaflet or if you’d prefer a hard copy, please contact us. If you’re a social worker or member of a kidney care team applying on behalf of a patient please read our Applying for financial aid guide

How to apply

You’ll need to contact your kidney unit social worker or a member of the kidney care team, as all applications for financial aid should come to us on a grant form completed with their input. However, if there’s no member of staff able to help, our advocacy officers can be contacted by contacting Kidney Care UK.

We all need support after the death of someone close. Bereavement benefits provide extra money to ease the financial strain after the death of a spouse or civil partner. You can get support even if you’re not on a low income.

From April 2017, a new benefit Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) replaces three benefits:

• Bereavement Payment
• Bereavement Allowance
• Widowed Parents Allowance

For more information, see link below.

Other help

If you need help to pay for a funeral, you may be eligible for a loan from the Social Fund or a funeral payment.

Supports farmers and families within the farming community through difficult times. Helping people deal with a variety of issues, including financial difficulties, animal disease, mental health and family disputes.

If you’re a Knightstone resident, we can offer you tailored support in almost any area of your life, including help to manage your homes or tenancy, support to find a job, work experience or volunteering opportunities, help to connect with local clubs or activities, and support around money and debt management. We also run a crisis service to help get you back on your feet if something unexpected has happened.

We may be able to help people in need, living in the South West, with funding for respite holidays, days away, taxis etc. Registered charity 1069330